Officer Shot, One Suspect Dead Near Walmart In Georgia

[van id=”van/batchfeed/2018/09/03/wgcl_299b0640-afbf-11e8-8c28-dbea5fa2483e” affiliate_id=”wccb” thumb=”https://ht.cdn.turner.com/cnn/big/us/van/batchfeed/2018/09/03/wgcl_299b0640-afbf-11e8-8c28-dbea5fa2483e-320x180_300k-1-thumb.jpg” title=”Officer shot, suspect dead”]

ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities say a police officer has been shot by a shoplifting suspect near a Walmart store in Georgia.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement that 34-year-old Covington Officer Matt Cooper is in serious condition following the Monday afternoon shooting.

Police say officers were responding to the report of a shoplifting, when the suspects ran away and fired, hitting Cooper in the head.

Twenty-one-year-old suspect Aaron Demonta Fleming was shot and killed at the scene. Authorities say the gunshot was likely self-inflicted. Two other suspects are in police custody.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. Monday. Covington is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta.